


They say a picture is worth a thousand words...

by oddlyfamiliar



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M, Tumblr Prompt, set somewhere during season 12
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-10
Updated: 2016-07-10
Packaged: 2018-07-22 18:42:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7449994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oddlyfamiliar/pseuds/oddlyfamiliar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but when I saw yours I was speechless. (Unknown)</p>
<p>Based on a tumblr prompt from <a href="http://thebowisstillhere.tumblr.com/">thebowisstillhere</a>:</p>
<p>
  <i>How about Hotch and JJ spending the evening with the boys and looking through old and unknown photographs of a young Hotch/JJ…</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	They say a picture is worth a thousand words...

**Author's Note:**

> The picture that's referenced can be seen [here](http://oddlyfamiliar.tumblr.com/post/147194991441/they-say-a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words)!

“Dad! Doorbell!” JJ can hear Jack yell from inside the apartment, and she grins down at her boys as they wait outside Hotch’s apartment. They started this routine a long time ago, but since her divorce it’s one she’s come to rely on. Every school morning that both Hotch and JJ are in town, she swings by in the morning to pick Hotch and Jack up. They get Henry and Jack safely off to school, then drop Michael off at the daycare within the FBI building. 

It’s a routine that works well; not only do Henry and Jack get to catch up before classes start, but it gives Hotch and JJ an opportunity to talk about non-work related things before they start their day. If anyone had told her ten years ago that her boss would be her best friend then she’d have raised a disbelieving eyebrow at them, but their friendship is genuinely one of the most important relationships in her life right now. 

Michael looks up at her in excitement as he recognises Jack’s voice, and JJ laughs quietly to herself as he wobbles a little on unsteady legs and slaps a tiny hand against the door as though annoyed it’s keeping him from getting inside. He’s recently started walking and he insists on trying to toddle around everywhere holding onto Henry’s hand, so he’s currently got a tight grip on his big brother while he teeters slightly, still a little unsure on his feet. Henry keeps rolling his eyes and pretending he’s too cool for this, but JJ knows he secretly loves playing big brother.

“Check to make sure it’s JJ, then you can open the door!” Hotch yells back, and JJ can just about make out the sounds of Jack running over to the door before the deadbolts get pulled back and it flings open.

“Hi!” Jack looks delighted to the see them, and he immediately moves forward to take Michael’s other hand just as Michael reaches out to him. 

JJ grins at them all and says a quick “hey” to Jack before she’s drowned out by Henry and Jack talking away about the latest issue of the comic book they’re both reading. JJ closes the door behind them all and watches over them as Jack and Henry help Michael walk over to the sofa and climb up onto it. For as much as Henry tries to hide how much he enjoys having Michael around, Jack is practically the opposite and seems to love hanging out with his best friend’s little brother. JJ figures it’s because he secretly wants to be a big brother too, and as long as they’re all happy and playing well together, she’s perfectly happy for him to play surrogate with her boys.

She’s snapped out of her thoughts when Henry suddenly leans forward in his seat and points to something in an open book on the coffee table. “Oh my god, is that your dad?” Henry looks positively gleeful as he turns to look at Jack, and JJ is officially intrigued when Jack starts laughing and nodding. 

“Yeah, I was looking for a baby picture of me to take in for class today and found that. Have you seen his hair?” Jack makes sure Michael isn’t going to fall off the sofa and then he leans forward too, looking at what JJ now realizes is a photo album.

“Mom, you have to look at this!” Henry giggles, and there’s no way she’s going to pass up the opportunity to see whatever it is that has the boys so entertained.

“Does your dad know you’re looking at this?” JJ asks as she walks over, but Jack doesn’t get time to answer before JJ sees the picture and can’t help but burst out, “oh my god.”

Jack starts giggling again. “I know, he looks so dorky!”

_Hell no he doesn’t_ , JJ thinks. “He looks cute,” she automatically counters, then blushes as both boys look at her suddenly. 

“You think Jack’s dad is cute?” Henry sees the opportunity to gently torment his mom and leaps in to take it.

JJ refuses to let them fluster her, and instead takes a second to get her cell out of her pocket so she can take a quick picture of the photo. She’s definitely going to enjoy teasing Hotch about it later. “I said he was cute in that picture,” JJ clarifies, but before either boy can question her further, she adds, “he’s not cute any more; he’s hot.”

She walks away from their stunned looks and turns to head through to the kitchen to find Hotch, but she can still hear the hushed whispers and giggling behind her. JJ probably shouldn’t have admitted that she thinks Hotch is hot to them, but if he ever finds out she can play it off as part-joke and part-truth; after all, he _is_ ridiculously hot. He doesn’t need to know, however, that her feelings go beyond just finding him attractive. 

“Hey,” Hotch says as she rounds the corner and finds him putting the finishing touches to Jack’s lunch. “Are they nearly ready to go?”

“Yeah, Jack is just looking for a baby photo to take into school, apparently,” JJ replies, before deciding that now is the perfect time to start teasing him about the photo. “They stumbled across a picture of you, actually…”

Hotch stops what he’s doing and turns to look at her, the tone of her voice immediately making him obviously suspicious. JJ just ignores him and tries not to grin as she taps at her phone and sets the picture of him as her lock screen. She turns her wrist so he can see the image, and then immediately turns to move around the other side of the kitchen island when he walks towards her to try to grab her cell from her hand.

“JJ…” Hotch’s tone is clearly supposed to be a warning to her, but JJ can’t help but grin at him as Hotch circles around the island trying to catch her. “Give me your cell.”

“Nope,” she laughs, then feints in one direction before turning to try to flee through the doorway in the other, except either she’s too slow or he totally saw through her ruse, because he catches her with an arm around her waist and pulls her in close to his body so he can try to reach her hand. She’s pressed tight up against his chest and she arches her arm behind her to try to put her cell out of his reach, but she just ends up pressing her breasts against him. 

He moves her back towards the island, pushing her against it to stop her backwards movements, and it’s not until they hear a loud burst of laughter from the living room that they snap out of their playful fight and realize how they’re positioned. He’s got her pinned against the counter, and their faces are barely an inch apart, and JJ automatically licks at her lips. Her gaze keeps flitting between his eyes and his mouth, and with every breath she can feel her breasts being crushed against his chest. Hotch leans forward slightly and JJ knows that he’s about to kiss her. _God_ , she wants him to kiss her so bad. She tilts forward slightly, letting him know that she wants this too, but before his lips can reach hers, they both hear steps running towards the kitchen.

“Dad! We’re gonna be late!” Jack calls out, and JJ and Hotch hastily separate mere seconds before Jack appears around the corner.

Hotch clears his throat and turns towards his son. “Okay, make sure you’ve got everything and we’ll meet you by the door in a minute.”

Jack turns and runs back out towards the living room, but JJ’s eyes are focused on Hotch. All she can think about is the fact that they almost kissed and that she wants so desperately for him to pick up where they left off.

Hotch takes a step back towards her, his eyes burning into hers. “Tell me to stop.”

JJ just grins at him and grabs his tie to pull him towards her. “Don’t stop,” she murmurs against his lips as she tilts her head and kisses him. The world around her melts away for a moment as his tongue gently sweeps against her bottom lip, and as she opens her mouth and slides her tongue against his, JJ feels like she’s home.


End file.
